TOPIC

Mental health research

Everything we have read on mental health. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,018 PAPERS · PAGE 38 OF 41 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2025Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of an Arabic version of the chronic pain self-efficacy scale.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoThe Arabic version of the Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable tool for Saudi patients. It accurately measures three distinct areas: managing pain, maintaining physical function, and coping with symptoms. Clinicians can use it to assess self-efficacy and track progress in Arabic-speaking patients with chronic pain.
• OTOther2026Dyadic adjustment for younger individuals following stroke: A cross-sectional study.Rehabilitation psychologyOnly one outcome differed by age: care partners in older couples were more satisfied with their social roles. In younger couples, one partner's lower satisfaction went with worse mood in both people; in older couples, only within the care partner.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Emphasising Learning in Health Promotion Targeting Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRPeople with intellectual disabilities and those supporting them said three things matter: being helped to understand their health choices, being listened to in a way that fits them, and having activity built into the day. Staff knowledge and service rules decide whether it happens.
• OTQualitative2026Exploring Shared Stress Experiences Among Teens With Chronic Health Conditions.Child: care, health and developmentTeens with long-term conditions described feeling set apart from their peers, carrying stressors their friends never face, and never being able to switch off. Several felt dismissed by healthcare providers for so long they started doubting their own symptoms. Safe places helped.
• PTOTOther2026Psychosocial Factors Are Rarely the Focus of Rehabilitation After Hip Fracture: A Short Report of Routinely Collected Health Data.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyIn 100 people rehabilitating after hip fracture, only 4 of 231 therapy goals were about psychosocial functioning, and only 3 patients had such a goal. Of 17 screened as at risk of anxiety or depression, 9 had nothing documented to address it.
• OTCohort2026Early Head Start Services Buffer the Effects of Maternal Depression on Child Development.Infants and young childrenCaregivers who engaged more with Early Head Start had fewer depressive symptoms a year later, and children in more engaged families scored better on social-emotional competence by age 3. Depressive symptoms did not predict later engagement, so the link ran one way.
• OTCohort2026The impact of specialist resource centres on autistic pupils' experience of mainstream school.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceWhere autistic pupils were placed made no measurable difference to their wellbeing, belonging or sense of support. Across resource centres and ordinary mainstream classes, it was peer and teacher support that went with better outcomes.
• OTSurvey2026Relationships Between Frequency of Attendance, Engagement and Independence in Everyday Activities Among Children and Youth With Intellectual and Other Developmental Disabilities: The Association With Comprehension Difficulties.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDChildren with disabilities who also struggled to understand things attended everyday activities less often, were less engaged and were less independent than children with disabilities but no comprehension difficulties. Gaps were widest in complex tasks like shopping, managing money and transport.
• OTCohort2026Autistic young people's psychological well-being in school.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic teenagers like school less and are unhappy there more often than non-autistic peers, but those gaps disappear once academic self-concept, bullying and peer problems are accounted for. How autistic students rate their own academic ability tracked most closely with how they felt at school.
• OTCohort2026Adverse Childhood Experiences in Autistic and Neurotypical Girls.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic girls had more parent-reported adverse childhood experiences than neurotypical girls, though not in any one category. In both groups, at least one ACE went with more anxiety and depression.
• OTOther2025Supporting Sustainability: A Philosophical Analysis of Certain Assumptions Underlying Occupational Therapy.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieNo finding to act on. This is a philosophical essay about the ideas underneath occupational therapy, not a study of patients or treatments.
• OTCase Report2026Challenging Case: Health Care Professionals as Cultural Brokers for a Boy From Central America With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Trauma and Stressor-related Disorder.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPOne boy with ADHD, trauma and autism improved on stimulant and guanfacine treatment, but cost and language barriers blocked psychotherapy, and his mood later worsened. What helped was cultural brokering: staff attended his school meeting and helped the family with housing and prescriptions.
• OTSLPCohort2026Reciprocal Associations Between Parental Anxiety/Depression and Emotional/Behavioral Difficulties in Autistic Children Following Their Diagnosis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchParents' anxiety and depression and autistic children's emotional and behavioural difficulties did not predict each other over the three years after diagnosis. At diagnosis 55.2% of mothers and 42.7% of fathers had clinically significant symptoms, and 61.3% of children were in the clinical range.
• OTOther2026Occupational Therapy as Integral Partner in Lower Limb Amputation Rehabilitation: A Clinical Commentary.Occupational therapy in health careThis is a clinical commentary, not a study. It proposes a four-phase framework for occupational therapy in lower limb amputation care, drawn from clinical experience and existing literature. No patients and no outcomes are reported.
• OTQualitative2026Occupational Therapist Perspectives: Factors Influencing Recovery Following Motor Vehicle Accident Injury.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieOntario occupational therapists described recovery after a motor vehicle accident as shaped by the insurance claim as much as the injury: late referrals leaving clients with poor coping, adjusters declining funding, and lawyers asking therapists not to let clients improve too much before settlement.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2026Lorazepam for post-operative pediatric cerebellar mutism syndrome: A case report.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineOne 11-year-old boy with post-operative cerebellar mutism after medulloblastoma surgery gained 40 WeeFIM units the week after lorazepam was started, having gained 1 the week before, and lost ground when it was stopped. Four other drugs were on board as well.
• OTSLPSurvey2026Growing-up autistic: Sharing autistic children's experiences and insights.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMost of these 136 autistic children felt it was okay to be autistic at home (91%) but not around teachers (26.8%) or friends (40.2%). Only 4.5% felt they definitely had the words to describe being autistic, and 45.1% said they masked.
• OTCohort2025Long-term follow-up of participants with mental ill health in the Danish return-to-work program: A secondary analysis of a controlled trial.Work (Reading, Mass.)A Danish return-to-work programme for people off sick with mental health problems did not change health-related welfare dependency at 1, 3 or 5 years. The only positive result came at 5 years, on non-health-related benefits (18.1% versus 19.5%).
• OTSurvey2026'A New Pace of Life': A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Retirement Plans, Preparations and Experiences in Middle-Aged and Older Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults retired at similar ages to non-autistic adults but arrived there differently: fewer had made any retirement plans, fewer had full state or workplace pensions, and more had been unemployed or unable to work. They worried most about money, losing routine and loneliness.
• OTCohort2026The association of daily urinary and bowel incontinence with emotional functioning in young adults with spina bifida: an ecological momentary assessment study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThese 23 young adults with spina bifida reported worse mood, more anxiety and lower quality of life on days with more frequent or larger incontinence, or when they avoided activities. Managing bowel accidents on their own went with better mood and quality of life.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026"No Words Needed": Results of a Survey on How Parents of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders Perceive (In)formal Peer Support.Child: care, health and developmentMost of the 225 Dutch parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (77.3%) said they needed peer support, mainly to hear others' experiences and to feel understood without judgement. Only 12.4% found it through a healthcare provider; most connected via Facebook groups.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Varied effectiveness of outpatient rehabilitation interventions in reducing long-term complications following childhood brain tumours: a systematic review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAfter treatment for a childhood brain tumour, rehabilitation most often helped movement: four of the five studies measuring balance, coordination, motor skills or daily living found gains, though every study was small. Cognitive outcomes did not improve in any study.
• PTOTSurvey2026Health Functioning Moderates the Association Between Chronic Conditions and Mental Illness in Childhood.Child: care, health and developmentChildren with a chronic condition were more than twice as likely to have a mood disorder, but not other mental illnesses. The link to anxiety, ADHD and any mental illness appeared only in children with better health functioning.
• OTSystematic Review2026Art Group Interventions for Children With Learning Differences: A Systematic Review.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthArt groups for children with learning differences show trends toward fewer hyperactive and impulsive behaviours and better self-expression, but most of these findings were not conclusive and came from weak studies. What goes into the session matters more than how long it runs.
• OTSLPOther2026"Disconnected From Everyone and Everything Around Them": A Mixed Method Study to Explore the Perspectives of Children With Language Difficulties and Their Caregivers On Mental Health Concerns and Mental Health Support.International journal of language & communication disordersMost of 120 caregivers of children with language difficulties (91%) had worried about their child's mental health, mainly anxiety, self-esteem and friendships, but 65% said their child had never had formal mental health support. Talk-based therapy was described as a poor fit.
• OTSurvey2025The role of uncertainty in earthquake fear and well-being among seafarers.Work (Reading, Mass.)Fear of earthquakes went with lower mental well-being in 357 Turkish seafarers, but the link ran through how badly they tolerated uncertainty. Once that was accounted for, earthquake fear alone no longer predicted well-being.
• OTSurvey2025Evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on the occupational burnout among shift workers in Hong Kong.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOT39.4% of the 538 Hong Kong shift workers surveyed met the criteria for burnout during COVID-19. Working more than 24 shifts a month, 9 to 15 night shifts a month, and having been infected twice were all linked to higher odds.
• OTSurvey2025Determinants of the number of ATDs used by community-dwelling people recovering from stroke with mild cognitive impairments: A path analysis.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTIn 196 community-dwelling stroke survivors with normal to mild cognitive impairment, being older, more anxious, or more involved in daily activities went with using more assistive devices. Cognition did not predict how many devices someone used.
• PTOTOther2025Factors influencing return to work after rotator cuff surgery: A scoping review.Work (Reading, Mass.)80.72% of workers returned to work after rotator cuff surgery, on average 6.2 months later, across 21 studies. Heavy manual work predicted lower and slower return; lighter duties predicted faster return. No single factor decided the outcome.
• OTQualitative2025Job crafting motives and strategies to increase work-related well-being among healthcare employees.Work (Reading, Mass.)Healthcare staff reshaped their jobs for four reasons: to develop, to contribute to a common good, to make work meaningful, and to keep the day manageable. Some deliberately crafted less, or not at all, to protect their energy.
• OTPilot2025Testing the feasibility of 30 min of daily outdoor office work for stress management: A pilot study.Work (Reading, Mass.)Eight office workers rated their stress lower during a week with at least 30 minutes of outdoor work each day (mean 4.42 versus 3.74), but the non-parametric test found no significant difference and only eight people took part.
• OTCohort2026Time to Medication Initiation in School-age Children With ADHD in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPAbout 59% of school-age children diagnosed with ADHD in developmental-behavioral clinics were prescribed medication within a year, with a median wait of 4 days. Children waited longer if a psychologist diagnosed them, if they were Asian, or if they had co-occurring conditions.
• OTOther2025Evaluating the changes in attitudes towards mental illness and physical disabilities after an anti-stigma course for occupational therapy students.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTStudents who chose an anti-stigma course with community contact and role-play reported less stigma towards physical disability afterwards than students in a sociology class, whose attitudes got worse. Both groups stayed more reluctant about mental illness than physical disability.
• OTSurvey2026Occurrence and Correlates of Suicidal Thoughts Among Young Autistic Users of a Mental Health App.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchNearly two thirds of young autistic people using a UK mental health app reported suicidal thoughts, and it was as common at 11 to 13 as in the older users. Depression, self-harm, physical abuse and a gender minority identity went with higher rates; using the term neurodiversity themselves went with lower ones.
• OTOther2026Understanding the Impact of Screening Location on Depressive Symptom Scores Among People With Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTotal depression scores did not differ significantly between people with new spinal cord injuries screened at home and in hospital (median 7.5 vs 6 on a 0-27 scale). Emotional symptoms and suicidal thoughts were more common at home.
• OTQualitative2026The Early Movers Clinician's Guide: Co-Designing a Resource for the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines in Paediatric Occupational Therapy.Child: care, health and developmentOTs and caregivers said the 24-hour movement guidelines' time targets felt judgemental and one-size-fits-all, and its sitting and restraint language ignored children who need those supports. Their co-designed guide drops the numbers, leads with family goals, and comes in clinician and caregiver parts.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Maternal Responsiveness, Parenting Self-efficacy, and Economic Empowerment: Determinants of Infant Development in Pakistan.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMore responsive, more confident mothers had lower odds of their baby showing developmental delay at six weeks, in communication, problem solving and personal-social skills. One check-up of 400 Pakistani mothers and babies, so it cannot show which came first.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Exploring the Experiences of Caring for a Family Member With Intellectual Disabilities Displaying Behaviours That Challenge and/or Mental Health Difficulties Within the United Kingdom: A Meta-Ethnographic Review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDFamily carers of people with intellectual disabilities described years of fighting for support, being left out of decisions about their relative, and reaching crisis before help arrived. They wanted professionals who listen, share their knowledge and build on strengths, not just problems.
• OTSystematic Review2026Scoping Review of Co-Design in Mental Health Research: Essential Elements and Recommendations.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthReports of co-design in mental health research use the name for quite different things. The essentials that recur: share power, treat lived experience as expertise, protect time for relationships and safety. Funding cycles and academic hierarchies stand in the way.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2026Priorities and Perspectives Regarding Goals and Outcomes of Support for Autistic Children Under 12 Years: A Systematic Review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceThe goals that autistic adults, families and professionals ranked highest for autistic children were communication, mental well-being, autonomy and community inclusion. Reducing autistic traits, neurotypical social skills training and academic targets ranked lowest. Professionals still leaned towards social skills and spoken language.
• OTQualitative2026Qualitative Analysis of User Experiences of a mHealth Self-Care Intervention for Care Partners of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn interviews, care partners of people with traumatic brain injury said the app's self-care prompts raised their awareness but often arrived at times they could not act, and its dashboard scores confused them. Technical glitches lost data and notifications.
• OTSurvey2025The work of forensic occupational therapists in solitary confinement: An international survey.Australian occupational therapy journalManaging risk decided whether a session happened, whether it took place inside or outside the cell, how many staff were needed, and what objects could be used. Therapists said watching patients' distress was their main stress, and debriefing with colleagues was how most coped.
• OTQualitative2025Menstruation among autistic adults: An occupational perspective.The British journal of occupational therapySix autistic adults described periods disrupting self-care, work and leisure through sensory overload, unpredictable cycles and anxiety about bathroom access and leaking. None had been offered professional support for the autism-specific side of managing menstruation.
• OTOther2026Variability of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool for Mobile Health Using Ecological Momentary Assessment in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationPrompting adults with chronic TBI daily, every other day or at random made no difference to how much their symptoms swung. Day to day, fatigue varied most and substance misuse least, and people fell into three groups by how stable their reports were.
• OTQualitative2026Facilitators and Barriers to Implementing French-Canadian Lifestyle Redesign® in Occupational Therapy Practice.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieQuebec therapists, students, decision makers and community partners saw the French Lifestyle Redesign program as evidence-based and worth running, but named its length, cost, thin staffing and public-sector mandates as the obstacles. Public settings were judged the hardest to start in.
• OTSystematic Review2026Autonomic Function in Fragile X Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRMost of the 28 studies, covering 727 people, found Fragile X syndrome comes with a body stuck in a stress state: the arousal system running high and the rest-and-digest brake lower. Whether that links to anxiety or autistic traits was contradictory.
• OTOther2026Community Implementation of a Clinician and Caregiver Co-Led Programme to Promote the Wellbeing of Family Caregivers of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDEleven of 12 Canadian organisations ran the CC-ACT programme for family caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, delivering 91.8% of planned content as designed. Over 90% of the 83 caregivers surveyed found it helpful; attendance dropped 27% by the last session.
• OTSurvey2026A Network Analysis of Alexithymia, Interoception, Empathy, Self-Awareness and Psychopathological Symptoms in Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchDifficulty describing feelings sat at the centre of a web of traits and symptoms in 208 young people with autism, along with anxiety and depression. Autistic traits themselves were only weakly connected. One-off snapshot, so no cause and effect.
• OTSystematic Review2025Systematic review of co-occurring transition of retirement and migration: An occupational perspective.The British journal of occupational therapyRetirees who move abroad permanently are drawn by cheaper living and warmer climates, then settle in through community groups, volunteering and contact with other migrants. Language barriers and healthcare access are the recurring difficulties. No included study treated retirement and migration as linked occupational transitions.
• OTSystematic Review2025Physical Activity Interventions Within Occupational Therapy for Persons With Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthAll ten yoga studies and all seven tai chi studies reported benefits for people with substance use disorder: fewer cravings, better mood, sleep and quality of life. High-intensity training results were mixed, and dance and music did not reduce substance use.